PTC to host commencement on Saturday; students must move off campus less than a week later

OAKDALE, Pa. — 11 Investigates continues to follow the abrupt closure of Pittsburgh Technical College and the students and staff left scrambling - some right before being able to graduate or complete internships.

The college’s closure was announced last week, despite the CEO and President denying the tech school was in danger of going under for months.

>> Current quarter will be the last for Pittsburgh Technical College students

Students have to be moved out of campus housing by June 28th. Despite that, PTC will hold its commencement ceremony this Saturday for the last graduating class. It’s expected to be an emotional and bittersweet day.

Hanna Tourney is still about a year out from her expected graduation date. She relies on campus housing at PTC because she lives three hours away in Lock Haven, Pa.

“Most colleges - to try to apply - already have their admissions closed,” Tourney said. “It makes it a really big challenge.”

She’s now forced to move out with very little notice and doesn’t know what comes next.

>> Pittsburgh Technical College placed on probation, in jeopardy of losing accreditation

“I moved to Pittsburgh because it’s a bigger city with a lot more opportunities and I love the city,” Tourney tells Channel 11. “I wanted to live here. Unfortunately, I’m just going to have to move home.”

She is one of hundreds of students scrambling to find new colleges.

PTC had until Monday, June 17 to submit a teach-out plan, after the college’s accrediting agency rejected the one they submitted, calling it ‘insufficient.’ It’s not clear if the resubmitted plan has been approved yet.

This Friday, faculty and staff say they have key deadlines including reports due to the Department of Education, the school’s accreditor and the Nursing Board.

11 Investigates reached out to several local schools that are helping PTC students.

>> AG’s office investigating complaints against local technical college, sources say

Point Park University says it’s in talks with about 50 PTC students and has received deposits for the fall. They will accept all PTC-earned credits. Point Park University says its biological sciences, engineering, communications, broadcast and graphic design programs are the best matches.

Carlow University says it has an enrollment counselor on PTC’s campus to help guide students. They have rolling admissions and say PTC students have shown a lot of interest in their College of Health and Wellness. They’re also working with students to keep them on track with completing programs.

The Community College of Beaver County says 73 PTC students have reached out and 20 are enrolled for fall. Their nursing program is of top interest followed by criminal justice, cyber security, mechatronics and software development. CCBC says they’ll work to make sure students won’t have a delay in their education or incur additional costs.

Dr. Stephen Wells, the Interim Chief Academic Officer at CCAC tells Channel 11 that it is still premature to estimate how many PTC students will end up at CCAC.  He provided the following statement:

“There were approximately 420 students enrolled in the programs that we’ve agreed to “teach out.”  While we would love to welcome them all, we are unsure at this point how many will end up at CCAC. The programs that seem to be of interest so far are varied and include Culinary, Criminal Justice & Criminology, Nursing, Graphic Design, and Computer Software & Networking. We are expecting to hear more about Mechatronics, ITS, and Trades programs as we continue to reach out.  The number of students and programs of interest will shift as more of our faculty members travel to PTC with Enrollment Services staff to visit with groups of students, explain programs, and chart a course to completion. We are hosting a PTC Exploration Day on Tuesday, July 9 at CCAC West Hills Center, and we expect to learn even more after that event. Also, keep in mind that not all students at PTC are from Allegheny County; many are from surrounding states and from different areas of Pennsylvania.”

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